9:32 am, March 15, 2017
WHEN Ford installs a hybrid powertrain in an RS or ST model it will only be done so to boost performance – that’s the bold claim of the brand’s global performance director.
Dave Pericak, the man in charge of the Blue Oval’s performance cars across the globe, said that the manufacturer was looking at a variety of different technologies to enhance its hot models.
‘I think if we electrify performance vehicles, it will be to enhance the performance of those vehicles,’ he said. ‘You may get a fuel economy benefit as a result, but it won’t be geared towards that, it will be geared towards enhancing performance. Electrification can be used to do that.’
Pericak said that current technology was restricting Ford – but that may change in the future.
‘If you’re going to look at electrification, you want to push the boundaries of what you can do today. So, we know we can accelerate a car pretty darn fast with electrification, we can do a lot of things, but we can’t sustain it. The issue is that the technology isn’t ready yet to sustain high levels of performance. You can only get bursts.’
One thing is for sure, though – new and exciting powertrains are key to Ford’s performance future.
Pericak added: ‘We’re going to be open to all powertrains and all different technologies, and that’s going to be part of how we continue to evolve performance products, get them better and, at the same time, improve fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, so we’ll see where we go. We’ve got a lot in the works.’
Main image: Ford GT’s hybrid tech could filter to other cars
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